Saturday, December 31, 2011

Alexander Gustafsson continued his rise up the ranks in the light heavyweight division on Friday night, stopping Vladimir Matyushenko in the first round at UFC 141.

After an early feeling out period, Gustafsson started opening up with his strikes, and his reach came into play as he landed a hard jab on a charging Matyushenko that dropped him. He followed up with strikes on the ground and the ref stopped the fight.

Gustafsson has now won four straight fights since suffering his only career loss to Phil Davis, stopping all four of those fights. Matyushenko, meanwhile, has lost for just the second time since returning to the UFC.

They've done it again. The Hoosiers have upset another top team, this time No. 2 Ohio State after beating No. 1 Kentucky earlier this month.

Indiana has now become the third team in history to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the same month and the ninth team since 1996-97 to beat both teams in the same season.

Bloomington was booming once again and the Hoosiers beat Ohio State, 74-70, with a difficult layup from Victor Oladipo that gave Indiana a one-point lead that they held onto to seal the victory.

The game-breakers were turnovers and fouls. Although the Hoosiers were out-rebounded, 34-26, they forced 17 turnovers from Ohio State, six of which came from point guard Aaron Craft.

Indiana also maintained an advantage with Ohio State's foul trouble, which limited Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and William Bufford, who all accumulated four fouls.

The Hoosiers' own Cody Zeller fouled out in the final minutes of the game, but the remainder of their starting lineup committed only two fouls or less.

So, where will the Hoosiers stand in the Top 25 after another exciting upset?

Prior to their recent win against Ohio State, Indiana lost against Michigan State on the road. While that certainly will carry some weight in voters' decisions for the Top 25, the Hoosiers win against No. 2 Ohio State will be more decisive in their Top 25 ranking.

As of last week, Indiana is ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 15 in the ESPN/ USA Today Coaches Poll.

In the AP Poll, Indiana was held out of the Top 10 by Florida, Wisconsin and Georgetown. Florida was upset by Rutgers in double overtime; Wisconsin lost to Iowa; and Georgetown beat No. 4 Louisville.

Indiana's win against Ohio State may bolster them up to the Top 10, as they will exceed Florida and Wisconsin. However, it's uncertain how voters will decipher Indiana's win against No. 2 Ohio State with Georgetown's victory over No. 4 Louisville.

In the Coaches Poll, Indiana trailed the above listed teams as well as Marquette and Mississippi State, who lost to Vanderbilt and No. 7 Baylor, respectively.

Therefore, Indiana would be in the same position in both polls: on the verge of the Top 10 under the voters' discretion to decipher between Indiana and Georgetown for the No. 10 spot.

Regardless, the Hoosiers should jump to at least No. 11 in the AP and Coaches polls. We'll see where Indiana finds itself in the polls come Monday.

– The official WWE website has ranked Hulk Hogan turning his back on millions of Hulkamaniacs to join Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in forming one of the most infamous groups in history, the New World Order, as No. 1 in their “List This: Legends of the Fall.”– Former WWE talent Paul Heyman turns 46 years old today.– Rosa Mendes, who has not appeared on WWE programming since SummerSlam, posted her first message on Twitter since August 20 by ranting about fellow SmackDown Diva A.J. The three-year veteran doesn’t feel ...

Matt Riddle has been pulled from the card due to an illness. Riddle-Ramos is OFF. All picks on Riddle and Ramos will be removed from Confidence Picks, and point values adjusted accordingly. All bets on Riddle or Ramos will be 'refunded.' Since the fight was canceled so close to bell time, no adjusted entries will be accepted.

Oh, and there are ten other fights as well. As always, we here at MMA Torch commemorate each major UFC event (along with the occasional major Strikeforce event ? and yes, I know that is an oxymoron) by running the MMA Torch Betting and Confidence Pick games. And with UFC 141 just around the corner, it?s time to bring in the new year Torch style; by betting play money and making picks against total strangers on the internet in the pursuit of no cash and prizes.

In the MMA Torch Confidence Picks game, Rich Hansen is your two time defending champion. And while there is a huge conflict of interest at play here, since I tabulate all the entries and run the game, again, no prizes, so nyah nyah. I will be defending against the Englishman Carll Light.

In the MMA Torch Betting Contest, our new champion, veteran player Avery ?Odin? Clarke will be defending his title for the first time against the plucky and effervescent Dionicio Ortiz (and yes, I did just pick two unrelated adjectives at random.).

NOTE

Please note that Sean Pierson and Ross Pearson have names that, while spelled differently, are pronounced the exact same way. So as to avoid confusion, please be very precise when you?re making any picks that involve either of these two fighters.

CONFIDENCE PICKS NOTE

UFC 141 is an 11 fight card. Therefore, the point values you assign must range from 11 (most confident) down to 1 (least confident).

When you email your entry, please sort the entry numerically from high to low. Thanks.

BETTING LINES

So, with no further ado, here are the lines we?re using, courtesy of Pinnacle:

Alistair Overeem: -140 Brock Lesnar: +127

Donald Cerrone: -277 Nate Diaz: +245

Jon Fitch: -217 Johny Hendricks: +194

Alexander Gustafsson: -330 Vladimir Matyushenko: +289

Nam Phan: -220 Jimy Hettes: +197

Ross Pearson: -295 Junior Assuncao: +260

Danny Castillo: -167 Anthony Njokuani: +151

Dong Hyun Kim: -370 Sean Pierson: +322

Jacob Volkmann: -250 Efrain Escudero: +222

Matt Riddle: -110 Luis Ramos: +100 (even)

Diego Nunes: -245 Manvel Gamburyan: +218

CONFIDENCE PICKS GAME RULES

NOTE: A player does not need to play both games during each event. Players may choose to submit an entry for one game or the other, or for both, at their own choosing.

Assign a number from 1 through 12 (if a 12 fight card, 1 through 11 if a 11 fight card, etc.), with the highest number going to the fighter you are most confident in winning. Also list your prediction for method of victory, along with the round (or decision if you predict a decision)

The first tie-breaker is the sum of confidence points. Using the example above, a Georges St-Pierre victory would earn 11 points, Thiago Alves winning would earn 10 points, etc.

If two participants earn the same number of confidence points, the next tie-breaker will be total number of winners predicted. If Player A earns 40 points on 7 winning picks, and if Player B earns 40 points on 6 winning picks, Player A would be declared the winner.

The next tie-breaker is the number of victory methods predicted correctly. Next would be predicted rounds of victory.

If both players are still tied at this point, both players will be declared winner, and they will face off again, along with the winner of the pool (to be described later), at the next event in a three way dance.

There is no money being wagered in this game, and there are no prizes, short of bragging rights.

BETTING GAME RULES

1.) Every player has $1000 of fake, imaginary, theoretical, play money to wager on each event. This is not a real money game, it is strictly for fun.

2.) Players must place a bet of at least $50, but not more than $500, on each of 3 or more different fighters. Bets may be in any denomination, as long as the amount falls in the range of $50 - $500.

3.) Players may also place a parlay bet. A parlay bet is a bet placed on multiple fighters. All fighters in the parlay must win their fights in order for the parlay to pay off. Parlay bets pay off at a higher rate than a bet on a single fighter. The parlay bet may be placed on either 2 or on 3 fighters.

4.) The minimum parlay bet is $50. The maximum parlay bet is $200. This money comes out of the $1000 allotted to each player. The parlay bet is not separate from the $1000 budget. A player is not required to play a parlay bet. The maximum number of parlay bets a player may wager is one.

5.) Whether or not a player chooses to place a parlay bet, the player must still place at least three straight bets ie: It is not legal to place two bets on individual fighters and one parlay bet. No entry is considered valid unless there are a minimum of 3 straight bets placed on individual fighters.

6.) If a fight ends in a draw, any money bet on said fighter will be refunded, with no fake money commission taken. If a fighter in a 3-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 3-fighter parlay will be treated as a 2-fighter parlay. If a fighter in a 2-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 2-fighter parlay will be treated as a straight bet on the remaining fighter.

Instructions on how to read and utilize the betting lines

7.) If a fighter has a positive number such as +150 next to his name, he is the underdog, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a higher rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $150 net profit for every $100 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $750. If a player bets $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.

8.) If a fighter has a negative number such as -200 next to his name, he is the favorite, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a lower rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $100 net profit for every $200 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $250. If a player bets $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.

Structure for each game

9.) For each UFC numbered event, both the Confidence Picks and Betting Game will feature a champion and a challenger facing off against one another. The winner of the head to head battle will be declared the reigning champion.

10.) All other players for each UFC numbered event will compete against each other for the right to face off against the reigning champion at the next UFC numbered event. This is known as The Pool.

11.) As games administrator, I have the subjective right to eliminate any entry for any reason I deem worthy.

12.) Entries may be submitted via email (mmatorchrich@gmail.com), or on the comment section of this post. Email is the preferred method, because if a player posts an invalid entry, I have no way to make sure I can get hold of the player so that it may be corrected. Please, under no circumstances should you both email and post on the board your entry. One or the other please, preferably email.

13.) Any questions, please email me and ask, or find me on Twitter and ask. There are no new rules in this list of rules. I just wanted to have everything listed together. But that said, if you have a question, just ask.

Coming into the fight, Fitch was considered—almost universally—to be the No. 2 welterweight in the entire world. However, nobody told Hendricks, as he knocked him out quickly.

In doing so, Hendricks has solved the UFC's Jon Fitch title fight problem.

Fitch had long been campaigning for a second shot at Georges St-Pierre, a shot that the UFC was reluctant to give.

Fitch was oft criticized for his inability to finish his opponents, and he was labeled as a boring fighter and a grinder. Not to mention that his first fight against GSP was a one-sided beatdown with GSP swinging the hammer.

The UFC had no reason to believe that a second fight would be any different. Now they don't have to worry about it.

With this loss to Fitch, he is likely out of title contention for the foreseeable future, as there is a long line of contenders ahead of him, including Jake Ellenberger, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and now, Johny Hendricks.

The UFC no longer has to worry about putting Fitch in a boring title fight. Johny Hendricks has solved that problem.

Forget about Frankie Edgar, maybe Hendricks' nickname should be "The Answer."

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.

The former UFC heavyweight champion may be an underdog to Alistair Overseem, but that won’t keep him from being the last one standing on Friday night. According to Bovado, Overeem is a -130 favorite over Lesnar, but avoiding a wrestling match against the former NCAA Champion would be a wise decision as Odds Shark’s Jack Randall writes…

“The chances that Lesnar is able to get this fight to the ground are very real, and if he does he will pay off at MMA odds of +125 for the upset. If he has improved his standup over the last year it could end up being a good battle between two elite athletes. Lesnar has been out of action for over a year and could show up rusty.”

While Lesnar’s wrestling ability should be feared, at the same time he shouldn’t be doubted because of rust. He told MMA Weekly all the way back in August how primed he was to get back in the octagon after his successful surgery saying…

“I feel like a new man, healthy, strong, I feel like I used to feel. My health is 100 percent, I feel great, my motivation is there and I want to get on the map again. I want to become the UFC heavyweight champion again, and I believe I will do that.”

That doesn’t sound like a fighter that needs a warm-up bout to regain his dominance. And again, he said that over four months ago.

Now, Overeem is extremely accomplished as a former Strikeforce Heavyweight, Dream Heavyweight and K-1 Kickboxing World Champion. While Lesnar realistically has no shot to upset Overeem standing up, all it would take is for the wrestler to get him on the ground.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

In the latest program of swedish mma program "MMA Nytt" they talked about that Alistair had been training his wrestling in a gym called "Team Ray" with a good wrestler in the 200-225 pound range. He had trouble defening the takedowns and scramble. After a while he is said to kneed the other guy in the head when he got frustrated.

Dont tell that it's true just what they said in the program.

Here's the clip and they talked about the incident about the 12 minute mark.rz1x2e18wYg?auoplay=0&hd=1

In Dana White's second video blog this week ahead of UFC 141, he gives a breakdown as to why Duane "Bang" Ludwig now holds the UFC's record for "Fastest Knockout" with a timed look at the other fights in contention as well. Check it out below:

– The official WWE website has ranked Hulk Hogan turning his back on millions of Hulkamaniacs to join Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in forming one of the most infamous groups in history, the New World Order, as No. 1 in their “List This: Legends of the Fall.”– Former WWE talent Paul Heyman turns 46 years old today.– Rosa Mendes, who has not appeared on WWE programming since SummerSlam, posted her first message on Twitter since August 20 by ranting about fellow SmackDown Diva A.J. The three-year veteran doesn’t feel ...

Tennessee is lucky enough to keep most of its starters going into 2012. No young players have declared for the draft yet, and the only full-time starters that are graduating are Tauren Poole, Austin Johnson and Malik Jackson.

Of course, there are quite a few players that are graduating (13 to be exact). Which ones have a chance at being drafted and how early? Read on to see where I think they will go:

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Hampered by a quad injury he suffered in training camp, the Miami Heat have yet to see the Shane Battier that they signed during the offseason.

While we believed that the Heat needed to make a few acquisitions in order to strengthen a few flaws, it turns out that only a few additions would be necessary. A reliable center and point guard can wait, the Heat played without them before and they can do the same this year. Instead of focusing on one aspect of the game, the Heat addressed a few by taking Battier.

Battier is a 10-year veteran that has spent time with the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. While he's only averaged double-digit points three times, he's highly coveted thanks to his defense. Even at the age of 33, Battier is still one of the league's top individual and perimeter defenders. He relies more on his knowledge of the game and his opponent, rather than his athleticism to become a stopper.

Now with the Heat, Battier will be addressing a few key issues. He'll be giving the team another defensive stopper along the perimeter next to Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, as well as giving the team a scorer on the perimeter that can help make up for the temporary absence of Mike Miller.

With a veteran like Battier on the team, we give you five reasons as to how he'll be helping to lead the Heat to their second championship in franchise history.

And I thought predicting Cerrone vs. Diaz was difficult? For weeks now I chalked this up to Overeem landing a knee or a guillotine as soon as Lesnar bullrushed, and that'd be all she wrote. Now, though, I'm not so sure. This is another coin flip fight for me. I still see Lesnar rushing in for the takedown ASAP. And I still think it's possible that Overeem lands a heavy knee or catches Lesnar's neck if his shot is a little sloppy (which is possible given the rust). It's also possible that Overeem doesn't land either of his two big weapons to counter a shot. If that's the case, either Lesnar will push Overeem against the cage and take him down, or Overeem will sprawl successfully and we'll reset in the middle of the cage.

So how do I see it playing out? I cannot go against my Alistair Overeem fanboy mancrush, although I love Lesnar. Overeem avoids the takedown once or twice, and eventually lands a knee which knocks Lesnar down. Overeem pounces and finishes on the ground late in the first round.

Or Lesnar takes him down and pounds him out. I don't know. Just let me watch the damn fight already.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR??

I think Overeem comes roaring out of the gates, but he gasses out quickly. This will allow Brock to take him down and ground-and-pound him. I'm tempted to go with a decision win by Lesnar, but I think the ref will step in late in the fight and stop it. I think Lesnar puts a beating on Overeem to get the TKO finish in the fourth round.??

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Brock Lesnar wins via ultimate domination against Alistair Overeem.� Kidding.� But he does win, as Overeem doesn't seem to have the gas tank that Lesnar has and if (and when) Brock weathers the early storm from Overeem, Brock will have his way with a winded Overeem.� Brock via TKO in the 2nd.�

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Alistair Overeem is the best kick boxer in the heavyweight division. �Brock Lesnar's weakness is his chin and this has been exposed on multiple occasions. Overeem has fought every type of fighter in MMA. He has great takedown defense and is a large heavyweight. Brock has only had seven fights. He is a huge heavyweight with world class wrestling skills. �His inexperience will hurt him in this fight. �I feel Overeem can stop Lesnar's takedowns and keep the fight standing. I predict Overeem will knock out Lesnar in the third round. If Overeem wins this, he will get the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I like Brock Lesnar to win this fight. If Lesnar can take down Randy Couture, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, I see no reason why he can't do the same to Alistair Overeem. Stylistically, the guys that will give Brock Lesnar fits are guys who can stuff his takedowns and strike with him; Overeem can certainly strike with him, but defending Lesnar's takedowns are another matter entirely. � It's entirely possible that Overeem stuffs the first takedown, fires a knee off at Lesnar's face and ruins the man's life, but we've seen enough "striker vs. grappler" type matchups to understand that the grappler wins that battle more times than he loses. � � [Brock Lesnar art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

At 12-3, the 49ers have surpassed everyone's preseason expectations. San Francisco's run this year is even more incredible when you account for the lack of a full offseason, along with new head coach Jim Harbaugh trying to implement a new system.

With all the success that the team has had this year, there are still questions being raised about whether the 49ers can beat the Packers or the Saints, two teams that they will likely face in the playoffs. There is no set formula for beating these high-powered passing teams, but there are a few, certain areas where if San Francisco can execute, they should be in prime position to win out.

1. Make the most of red-zone opportunities.

A concerning trend for most of the season has been the offense having to settle for field goals in the red zone. Akers has been spot on, but three points a drive isn't going to cut it against the better teams in the playoffs. The defense has played extremely well and has been the focal point of the team. But in the likely chance that the 49ers get in a shootout, the offense has got to put points on the board and support the defense as much as possible.

2. Play mistake-free football.

This is something that the 49ers have generally been good at this season. But for a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in a while, they have to keep their composure in high-stress situations. This especially relates to the play of Alex Smith. Although the stats aren't spectacular, Smith has been very efficient and relatively turnover-free, managing games very well.

But against the best teams in the league, can Smith make the big throws and win games with his arm? Since the 49ers' offense is, among other things, a conservative ball-control offense, I see them doing well in this category and limiting opportunities for the opposing defense.

3. Get pressure on the opposing quarterback.

This is perhaps the most vital thing San Francisco must do to get far in the playoffs. The defense will feast on playoff opponents if they can make them truly one-dimensional as they have done the whole season. With possibly the best defensive front in the league, lead by star rookie Aldon Smith, the 49ers have the personnel necessary to deliver consistent pressure on Brees, Rodgers and other prolific opposing quarterbacks.

Low-scoring games and no shootouts are what the 49ers want, similar to what the Giants have been doing at AT&T Park the last few years. The rushing defense is there, and if the defense can stop the various aerial attacks, a trip to the Super Bowl is all but guaranteed.

The task for San Francisco is double sided; the offense, in baseball terms, must provide enough run support for the defense, and the defense must keep the offense in the game as long as possible. The playoffs will be challenging for Alex Smith and company, but they've come a long way this year, and there is a good chance there will be another championship trophy coming to SF in 2012.

Westbrook's frustration appeared to have started with just three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second quarter when he drove into the paint and kicked the ball out to Thabo Sefolosha in the corner. Sefolosha passed up a wide open three-pointer, which prompted Westbrook to yell at Sefolosha “shoot the (expletive) ball.”

While his teammates tried to settle him down, a minute later, Kevin Durant and Westbrook started into a shouting match.

Durant appeared to again settle Westbrook, but Westbrook appeared to take exception to how Durant delivered his message. The two began shouting at each other and had to be separated.

This is the second time there has been friction between the two, as they were having some issues during the postseason last year. In that case, as in this one, Westbrook seemed to be the instigator.

If this persists, then it could eventually force the Thunder into a trade. Westbrook continually seems to want to press himself into a role which is not his, where he can be the team leader. However, in Oklahoma City, that role belongs to Durant.

A friend of mine once said that the test of a leader is whether people follow. If his teammates don't want to follow him, Westbrook is clearly not the leader on this team.

The tensions could force the Thunder into looking for a trade. However, that could be problematic because of Westbrook's contract situation. His contract ends this year. While he'd be a restricted free agent, the issue is more to do with the money side of things. It's hard to find someone that could give the Thunder a similar value in return for his $5 million.

If they bundle Westbrook together with a minor role player, then Thunder could swap Westbrook for Rajon Rondo. It would give the Celtics what they need in more of a scoring point guard, as well as a player they can build around next year. It would also give the Thunder what they need, a player who has a ring and is one of the top facilitators in the NBA.

Of course, they'd rather that Westbrook grows up and accepts his role. If I could talk to him, I'd let him know there's no shame in being Scottie Pippen, but there is in being Stephon Marbury.

Thierry Henry has given the Arsenal supporters a lifetime of memorable moments, so it is no surprise that he could very well deliver a few more in an epic return to North London.

Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail reports the Gunners have offered a contract to return to the club on a two-month loan. The onus is now on Henry and the New York Red Bulls as to whether the star player will return to Arsenal.

The move by Arsene Wenger to extend an offer makes a lot of sense. The Gunners are in prime position to take a fourth place or better finish in the EPL into the summer.

One thing that could hinder such a thing from happening would be the team faltering as a couple of their stars go off to play in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh will leave Emirates for a spell, leaving Robin Van Persie to shoulder a tremendous load. RVP no doubt has the form to take on such things, but Arsenal is not in the habit of taking such chances.

Two birds meet one stone as Henry would invigorate the supporters for a final season push. The memories of the leading Arsenal goal scorer on the pitch would flood back.

Wenger would also have a fine forward to push up next to Van Persie in attack. The report assures that Henry has been working with the side during the MLS offseason and he is in fine form.

If the offer is accepted, Henry could feature in seven Premier League games, including clashes against Manchester United and Tottenham.

Wenger will need depth in those contests, and Henry can deliver with pace and leadership. This is a rare signing that has little to no down side. Arsenal will get a great shot in the arm that will also deliver goosebumps of nostalgia.

Betting on mixed martial arts is getting more sophisticated with each card. Gone are the days where sports books could fall victim to savvy bettors who had better knowledge of the undercards than the supposed experts did. The bookmakers have gotten wiser, but they're also battling the best minds from all over the sports betting world.

The players who traditionally pounded the major sports like NFL, college football and NBA, are taking their time to find middles, value scenarios and less than sturdy numbers in the world of MMA betting.

A closer look at the line movements for UFC 141 reveals some interesting cases for this Friday's fight card (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET).

The important number to look at is the percentage of bets taken and where the original odds have moved. The numbers listed are the opener, current and then percentage of bets place on each side with Bovada (former Bodogsports):

The translation here is that anytime the higher percentage of bets are placed on one side, the line should be moving in that direction, but that's not the case in several fights.

In the Fitch-Hendricks fight, the majority of the bets (94%) are on the favorite yet the number has dropped. That suggests that the bigger money amount is on the side of Hendricks. It's your classic public versus the big bettor scenario. The same goes for Overeem vs. Lesnar, Phan vs. Hettes, Pearson vs. Assuncao and Volkmann vs. Escudero.

Maybe the "sharps" know something in these fights. Maybe not. Either way, it's interesting to see where the big money is going.

When the UFC approached Brock Lesnar about a fight with Alistair Overeem for this Friday at UFC 141, the former UFC Heavyweight Champ wasn't very familiar with the Dutch striker. But in an interview with Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com, Lesnar said he didn't skip a beat in accepting the bout:

"I was riding in my tractor on my farm in Canada, and I got a phone call. They proposed Alistair, and I said 'absolutely, let's do it, I feel good. Just let me get my crops off the field and get home.' At the time I hadn't even started training. But I was ready; it was game on. I knew the surgery was a huge success and that I had healed normal and I was ready to go."

Alistair Overeem rose to prominence in the heavyweight division over the last several years in large part to the advancements he made in his striking game while with Golden Glory in Holland. However, for his UFC 141 camp, he's bounced around from the U.S. and Holland after a contentious split with Golden Glory, and one of his former trainers, Martijn De Jong, believes it will have an effect on how this fight plays out.

"If Alistair had his old team surrounding him, he would have definitely won this fight, I would have predicted a second-round TKO," De Jong wrote in a post for Fighter's Only. "Now, it's a different story. I am not involved in his camp anymore. Me knowing him well, and with all the recent events happening, it is hard to predict."

Between the split from Golden Glory, uprooting his life to Las Vegas, returning to Holland to care for his ailing mother, and the issues with the Nevada State Athletic Commission in getting licensed, there's been a lot of distractions for Overeem. But De Jong says that's not all that's playing into it, either.

"Besides all that, Brock will be the crowds [favorite]," De Jong said. "All this mentioned above would be very hard for any fighter to prepare fully for a big fight like this, and Brock is a strong, huge and amazing wrestler who can take a punch. Of course Alistair has the edge striking standing up and Brock has the edge wrestling and on the ground.

"With all of Alistair's skills and experience - he was with Golden Glory for 12 years, after all - he still might be able to pull off the W but it's not gonna be easy. Fighting is mostly a mental game. The one who will have that in place will be the victor on December 30."

Penick's Analysis: Would it surprise anyone if a number of individuals at Golden Glory were pulling for Lesnar in this fight on Friday night? That would be their vindication that Overeem made a mistake in breaking away from them. There are a lot of things that could negatively impact how Overeem has prepared for this fight, and if he's not ready to deal with Lesnar's size, strength, and ground technique because of them, it's going to be on him. Still, it's interesting to see this type of take from someone that has been very close to Overeem in the past. Overeem absolutely can win this fight, but De Jong's not wrong about the many distractions he's had making it murkier to see him picking up the win.

Duane Ludwig’s near five year campaign to have his four second knockout recognised as the fastest in UFC history looked to be over in fairy tale fashion on Christmas Eve when Dana White sent out the following Tweet. @danawhite @DUANEBANGCOM @ufc and for x mas you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it [...]

Injuries have plagued 2011 as many of the UFC?s top stars have had to postpone or delay fights this year. GSP, Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and Rashad Evans are just a sample of the fighters that were scratched from PPV cards due to injury. This does not even touch upon the [...]

A second heavyweight bout has been added to the UFC's March return to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as the organization announced on Tuesday that Brendan Schaub will take on Ben Rothwell at UFC 145.

Both fighters hope to rebound from losses in their last outings. Schaub was knocked out by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August, a loss that snapped a four-fight win streak in the organization. For Rothwell, he lost his second of three fights in the Octagon in September when he was defeated by Mark Hunt.

UFC 145 takes place from Montreal's Bell Centre on March 24, 2012, the UFC's first trip to Montreal since December of 2010.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

You can't lie that if they could successfully mix tag team fighting into the ufc that it would be a huge success. Especially since you could fight with one of your training partners against another team of training partners.

I don't know how the actual "tagging out" would work but I assume you could tag in between rounds and maybe up the rounds in a tag team match. If it works out down the road it could lead to tag team champions, maybe with 2 fighters that specialized in different facets of MMA that would be able to deal with any opponent. (imagine Anderson and Palhares as teammates, they cover each other perfectly)

If nothing else it could be a fun thing to have maybe once every other card, new and exciting for sure.

"I'm done with the guy. He and I have no business. He's cold product. He's like jheri curls and Pepsi Clear. He's yesterday's news. I destroyed this guy back when he was tough. That was years ago. He's so far over the hill and so far past his prime that it's not worth talking about. I'm going to become the No. 1 contender on January 28 and despite what you may think, I'm not going to use that voucher to fight Anderson Silva. I'll be looking at [Jon] Jones, [Junior] dos Santos and possibly [Georges] St. Pierre. I will take that voucher to Dana White and pick one of those three guys. My time with Anderson is done."

Penick's Analysis: This is Sonnen being Sonnen, and if he defeats Munoz the fight with Silva is what's on tap, but it certainly makes for another interesting soundbyte. There's not a chance he's getting any of the other three fights he mentions here, and he'd get smashed by Jones and dos Santos for sure, but he's never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal is a former NCAA D1 wrestling champion, and he knows a thing or two about the differences between utilizing that skill set in the amateur context and attempting to impose it in mixed martial arts. That's something facing Brock Lesnar this Friday night at UFC 141 - finding a way to impose his biggest skill set against someone hell-bent on not allowing him to do so. In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Lawal gave his suggestion for what he believed Lesnar needs to do in order to be successful on Friday night:

"If I were Brock, I would establish a good jab, fake ... jab, fake ... fake, jab. Look to shoot off the fakes. You know in wrestling. if the person doesn't respond to your fakes then you shoot next time. If the person responds to your fakes then you throw punches. It's going to be very important for Brock to set up his takedowns because without the setups, he's getting knocked out or hurt. Overeem is the wrong person to shoot on out of the blue."

UFC President Dana White gave Duane "Bang" Ludwig an excellent gift for Christmas this weekend: recognition for the fastest knockout in UFC history.

The official time for Ludwig's knockout of Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 3 had been listed at 11 seconds, but in watching the tape of the fight it's clear that it's stopped in only four seconds. He's attempted to get the official time changed to reflect what should be his record, but to this point had been unsuccessful. Here's what White told him on Twitter this weekend:

"@DUANEBANGCOM @ufc and for [Christmas] you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP"

UPDATE: While White says Ludwig has that record and it will be changed, that may just be in the UFC's official records. According to Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer in a statement made to MMAJunkie.com - "The ruling is that it stays at 11. There's no legal avenue to overturn it."

White responded, saying "Sounds like them. We reviewed it, and it's correct. 'Bang' has the fastest knockout. It's funny. The state athletic commissions are in place to look out for the fighters, but it seems like I'm always the one making sure they don't get [expletive]."

The undercard for next month's UFC on Fox 2 event has taken a couple of hits, as both Paul Sass and Eddie Wineland have suffered injuries, taking them out of bouts with Evan Dunham and Johnny Bedford, respectively.

While an opponent is still being sought for Bedford, Dunham will now take on Nik Lentz, who makes a quick turnaround after a loss at UFC 140 in Toronto.

The decision loss to Mark Bocek was the first defeat Lentz has suffered in the Octagon, breaking a six-fight unbeaten streak in the organization. Dunham snapped a two-fight losing streak in his last bout, a decision win over Shamar Bailey.

Bedford was actually a replacement himself, as Wineland was originally targeted for a bout with Demetrious Johnson before "Mighty Mouse" was pulled to take part in one of the UFC's first two flyweight bouts.

UFC on Fox 2 comes to the United Center in Chicago, Ill. on January 28, headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis.

Penick's Analysis: Lentz is a very good short-notice replacement. Though he lost three rounds against Mark Bocek, he did more damage in the fight and neutralized much of Bocek's attack. He'll be a big test for Dunham, and is a much more effective wrestler than Bailey. Bedford looked very good in his TUF 14 Finale debut, and any fighter the UFC finds for him in the bantamweight division should make for an exciting bout on this card..

Retirement is inevitable for every athlete. Whether it's voluntary or forced is up to the athlete. In fighting, it's too often forced. There's no exact age or time. Some guys have to walk away in their early 30's, others like the incredible Randy Couture, make it into their late 40's.

The end of the 2011 was unkind to several legends of MMA who are past their 34th birthdays. As a result, their careers are gasping for their last breath of air.

In 2012, we could see the end of the road for Tito Ortiz, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Matt Hughes. Then there's Brock Lesnar.

He's not a legend, but he is the pay-per-view king of the sport and yet his future could be in question following UFC 141. Lesnar has battled serious health issues and after his loss to Cain Velasquez 15 months ago, many question his passion for the sport.